Spreading the Word on Scienceploitation

Hello again! My name is Alyssa Croft, and I am currently conducting research and designing an experiment with funding from the IDEA Grant. For a quick review, I am working on developing an experiment to test a method of a common phenomenon known as scienceploitation. Scienceploitation is the use of misleading scientific claims as a means to generate capital. This experiment will be done over the course of two studies to compare how scienceploitation affects different cultures in regard to language.

            While scienceploitation might sound like a challenging concept to grasp, it is something that most people are exposed to every day without knowing it. As a consumer, you likely experience scienceploitation whenever you are looking to make a purchase. For example, if someone walked into a store and wanted to buy a product, it might “guarantee” results that have not been proven to be true. You might see this anywhere from your everyday deodorant that “lasts 24 hours” to energy boosting supplements that have been “clinically proven” to work. These claims can be misleading because they can be advertised to do something that has not been scientifically proven. This type of messaging is extremely common, but there is little known research on the actual effects it has on consumers. There is even less research on how scienceploitation is interpreted by people who speak different languages. I plan to bring this aspect into focus with the results from my experiment. Different groups of people are more susceptible to certain messaging, which can be potentially harmful if this messaging contains misleading claims.  

I hope that my work and academic voice will spread awareness to scienceploitation and inspire more research on how people are affected by misleading claims. It is morally incorrect to mislead consumers, and that people deserve full transparency when purchasing products. Unfortunately, much of our world does not operate this way, but by teaching people what to look for I might be able to make a difference. By applying for grants, attending conferences, and speaking through different mediums about my project I can at the very least inform people on what scienceploitation is. Considering its prevalence, I hope that the conversation will spread through word of mouth and inspire additional research to continue raising awareness. Being able to simplify the phenomenon and break down what scienceploitation really is also helps create greater interest from the general public. My experiment is just the tip of the iceberg, and as long as people are willing to listen, I plan to continue sharing my knowledge.